Whether it was sheer coincidence, or the golden-horned youth had truly sensed something, none could say.
The moment the woman's voice fell, the young man—who had been hovering motionless in the air—suddenly raised his head to glance upward, then flicked one hand. A jet-black, round basin flew out and, after a brief orbit, hovered in midair.
The Jiaochi Clan youth murmured an incantation and flicked his ten fingers at the basin in rapid succession.
Streaks of multicolored spiritual light shot forth, each one flashing before vanishing into the basin.
With a long, resonant hum, the basin's surface erupted in radiant black light and began swelling at a terrifying rate.
In the blink of an eye it had grown to over a hundred feet across, hanging in the sky like a house.
Then the lid flew off, and from inside the basin a torrent of ink-black qi surged outward in every direction.
A curtain of darkness unfurled across the heavens, blotting out more than half the sky.
On Han Li and Liu Shui'er's end, the crystal's image instantly went pitch-black—they could see nothing at all.
Both of their expressions shifted, but before either could speak, a flash of dark light swept across the crystal and the surface reverted to normal, restoring the image.
Everything in the scene appeared virtually identical to before—even a few distant white clouds looked exactly the same. Yet the Jiaochi Clan members and the golden-horned youth who had been suspended in the air had vanished without a trace.
Liu Shui'er's eyes gleamed. She extended one slender finger and tapped the crystal.
Under a ripple of light, the image on the crystal's surface changed once more, shifting to show the landscape below.
The swirling yellow sandstorm reappeared below—but among it, there was no sign whatsoever of the Jiaochi Clan cultivators.
"It seems they've deployed an illusion technique to conceal all their movements. Unless we forcibly direct the Shadow Crystal to project into their barrier, there's nothing we can do. But doing so would expose our position beyond any doubt—it would cost more than it's worth." Liu Shui'er sighed softly.
She waved her sleeve at the crystal. It flashed briefly, and wisps of milky-white mist rose from its surface before the image dissolved like a phantom. The crystal ultimately resolved into what appeared to be an ordinary milky-white gemstone, which she tucked into her sleeve.
"Let it go. Since these Jiaochi people are being this cautious, there's no need for us to alert them. Still, this tells us their scheme is no small matter. The question is whether it will have any impact on our own plans." Han Li murmured, his expression pensive.
"Several tens of thousands of li is a matter of moments for cultivators like us. We truly cannot afford to let our guard down. Do you have any good ideas, Brother Han?" Liu Shui'er's expression grew solemn as she asked slowly.
"There are many of them, and none of their abilities are inferior to ours. There's no perfect solution, I'm afraid. All we can do is lay down several extra layers of formations to mask any fluctuations when we break the restriction. Besides, even though the Jiaochi people have used illusions to hide themselves, we can do some work around their illusory formation as well. Send a few puppets or spirit beasts to keep watch from the shadows. If they make any major moves, we'll at least have some warning." Han Li considered briefly before laying out his plan.
"There's nothing else we can do for now." Liu Shui'er pondered a moment as well, then could only agree with a resigned nod.
"If the fairy has no objections, let's begin our preparations immediately. This is no place to linger—we should head to the restricted area as soon as possible." Han Li said without hesitation.
"Agreed. I only wonder when Fellow Daoist Shi will arrive. Let's hope nothing has gone wrong on the way." Liu Shui'er nodded gravely, then added with a note of concern.
"Since the two of us made it here so smoothly, Brother Shi's abilities should see him through without trouble. Besides, we've barely reached the two-month mark. If Fellow Daoist Shi's route was longer, arriving a few days late would be perfectly normal." Han Li chuckled, seemingly brimming with confidence in Shi Kun.
"Let's hope so." The cloaked woman had no further words of worry after hearing Han Li's reassurance.
Han Li smiled faintly and moved his sleeve.
A white silhouette shot out, circling once before materializing under a flash of cold white light into a woman dressed in white, standing before them with an expressionless face.
It was the spirit-linked puppet, "Wawa."
"Go. Keep watch on those Jiaochi people. You don't need to engage them—just observe from a distance." Han Li issued the command in a flat tone.
"Wawa's" eyes flickered at the order. She gave a slight bow, preparing to launch into the air, but Han Li thought of something and called her back.
"Wait. Take this treasure and this talisman with you. Your top priority is to avoid detection." As he spoke, Han Li turned his palm over, and with a flash of light, a swath of black gossamer and a talisman appeared in his hand.
The talisman shimmered with a faint purple glow—it was precisely the Taiyi Clearing talisman.
Wawa's face still betrayed no emotion, but she obediently grabbed the gossamer and talisman with one hand, drawing them to her through the air. Then her body flashed with white light, and she transformed into a white streak that pierced the sky and vanished.